1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a transport carrier conveyor constructed of a plurality of transport carriers which are independently mounted relative to each other for conveying articles either along an upwardly inclined path or a substantially horizontal path.
2. Description of Background Art
Hithertofore, a number of conveyors for transporting material have been available. Belt conveyors require pulleys which must be precisely aligned in order to avoid belt run-out. In addition, belts running at a low speed track very badly. Further, belts running at a high speed require crowned pulleys to perform satisfactorily.
Chain conveyors require sprockets for driving the chains. In addition, sprockets are required for changing directions with respect to a horizontal or inclined disposition of the chains.
Roller conveyors are usually constructed with the rollers mounted in a stationary manner on a frame. The rollers are driven individually or by means of a belt. Drive shafts or gear systems are also utilized to impart movement to the rollers. Roller conveyors are also constructed with idler rollers which are fixed in a predetermined disposition. Some roller conveyors do impart movement to a plurality of rollers to rotate while being held in a fixed position along a predetermined path.
With respect to conventional conveyors, often a drive mechanism is required to be disposed adjacent to an elevated pulley. This is required in view of the fact that the conveyor belt must be pulled along its direction of travel. The positioning of a drive motor adjacent to an elevated section of the conveyor presents a number of disadvantages with respect to the mounting of the drive mechanism and the necessary support structure for affixing the drive mechanism to the conveyor housing.